Courses
Artificial Intelligence in Games
Understand the differences between traditional AI and AI applied to game development, where other factors such as playability are more relevant that the oponent’s intelligence level. Be familiar with the practical problems when developing AI for video games, and with the several techniques applied in comercial video games. Know how to design and build an AI system for a video game independently of its genre (action, sport, strategy, narrative).
Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
To acquire general notions about agents and multi-agent systems; knowing how to identify and classify agents and environments, according to different properties. Knowing how to develop complex systems and systems from different application areas, using an agent-oriented methodology. Knowing how to define a society of agents in order to solve a specific problem. Being able to design agents with reactive, deliberative and hybrid architectures. Being able to create societies of agents that communicate, in a practical way, using suitable languages and platforms.
Computer Graphics for Games
This course covers both theory and practice of game engine software development. It delves into the different engine subsystems including, but not limited to, rendering, character animation, and physics, and details the articulation required to support gameplay development. By the end of this course, students should understand how modern game engines work, and be able to design and develop their own game engines.
Game Design
This course grants the students the opportunity to develop their skills on experience design and prototyping for games. The learning process is sustained in the discussion of what is a game, what are its components and what is its relation to the players (having in mind their differences). It is expected that the student develop design documents and prototypes to support his/her work on the course.
Game Development Methodology
Present a vision of the different methodologies and technologies involved in the development of digital games discussing the main features and issues in each one. Grant students with conceptual tools and techniques to develop user interfaces for games with special emphasis on player controls. Develop the ability to reflect and test the player experience and gameplay. Discuss the role of conceptual modelling and user testing. Highlight the importance to take a user centred approach in the exploration of the player experience.
Multimedia Content Production
Know the different types of multimédia information and how to manipulate them to poduce multimedia content. To understand the technological constraints that affect Production. To understand critical factors affect the success of a production, namely in aspects such as capture, encoding, processing and visualization of the different media. To know the different kinds of available authoring tools. To create Multimedia contents; To identify the different contexts in which multimedia can be consumed, with emphasys on online and network issues (evaluate bandwidth, latency, synchronization, etc.) and mobile devices. Introduce some advanged multimedia usages such as procedural modelling, generative art augmented reality. Apply efficient methods of multimedia content retrieval.
Thesis
My Dream Theater
Conflict is something that cannot be avoided in life. At a social level, it is of great importance to solve conflicts the best way possible, as an unresolved or badly handled conflict can lead to unpredictable events and have negative consequences for everyone involved. The goal of this work is to design and validate an educational serious video game that supports educators in their task of teaching children about conflict and conflicts resolution. This work represents a new approach to conflict resolution software as it creates a safe environment in which children can experiment different ways to handle conflict situations and understand what an why those decisions have specific outcomes. To achieve this, the proposed game design implements several concepts from social and psychological theories of conflict into the rules and mechanics of the game, following several learning theories and design principles from the field of educational video games. This document presents the research concerning the two main fields of this work, conflict and educational video games. The rules and game mechanics are then presented along with the educational principles followed to obtain that game design. It is then detailed the development of a prototype which was used to validate the design with children. Several tools to support the design were also implemented, including a game simulator and several playing strategies which allowed to balance the game. Finally this work describes the implementation and results obtained using and adaptation model which allows teachers to personalize the game experience.
Studying Responses to Norm Violations Using Computer Games
When an individual violates a norm, they infringe one or more principles of proper conduct, presenting behaviours that should not be accepted in a society. However, there are studies showing that norm violators are afforded and perceived with more power than norm abiders. To understand the When, Why and How of these findings, we implemented a video game research tool. This dissertation describes the development process of a configurable resource-management first-person multiplayer game, where players are able to follow or violate norms during resource collection and transactions. In the game, there is one leader responsible for taking or giving power to other players, within actions such as the distribution of resources and the selection of the following leader. We conducted an experiment with 20 participants to verify if the created tool was in line with prior findings. Subjects played the leader role and interacted with two confederates, a norm violator and a norm abider. We measured power perception and affordance given subjects’ game actions and answers from a questionnaire. We found results that contradicted prior studies. Only 35% of subjects selected the norm violator as the leader. Additionally, during resource distribution, subjects favoured the norm abider compared to the norm violator. Given these results, we realized that the scenario of our experiment was unbalanced - the norm violator’s scripted behaviour was extremely selfish compared to the norm abider. Even so, we noticed that a few subjects still perceived the norm violators as more skilful and, therefore, more worthy of power.